Don’t Read This While You Eat

You expect the hospital to be a safe, clean place. You expect that when you go to the hospital for surgery, the instruments and tools used on you will be sterilized and clean. You will have your surgery, recover, go home, and feel better than you did before. Usually, this is what happens.

But not always. Sometimes, and more often than we really want to know, the instruments are imperfectly cleaned. Bits of blood and tissue are left behind, clogging the complex tools and harboring infection. Read more about this problem(warning: the link has graphic descriptions and photos, do not click if you do not want to see these graphic descriptions) from iWatch News from the Center for Public Integrity.

The FDA has investigated these problems, and are creating a draft policy for device manufacturers that will in no way be binding upon the manufacturers. This is unacceptable. People deserve to be safe in hospitals, not get sicker.